Mike Monroe: Our bad

The pre-season is just as important for reporters as it is for the Spurs. We have to get in game shape, too.

For example, as Jeff McDonald, nearing completion of his second week as Spurs’ beat writer, awaited the call for the media to enter the Spurs’ practice court, I commented that we would have to ask “Pop” why Francisco Elson had not played at all in the pre-season opener in Dallas. Popovich was busy taping a public service announcement after practice, so we asked assistant coach Mike Budenholzer, who got a laugh out of the fact we had not noticed that Elson wasn’t even on the bench in Dallas. Turns out he had stayed home in San Antonio with a bad case of indigestion.

“You guys need to spend more time in the gym and less time in the media dining room,” Budenholzer said.

Guilty as charged, Bud. I have assigned McDonald to count noses before each game the rest of the season.

By the way, in his very first game after replacing the esteemed Johnny Ludden McDonald established new highs for fashion sense by a Spurs beat writer. Of course, all he had to do to dress better than Ludden was to wear a shirt and slacks that didn’t clash.